With 15 different languages taught in basic schools last year, students entering upper secondary school may be unable to continue studying a language they have spent several years learning.
A few years ago, Russian and German were the main second foreign languages taught in Estonian schools, but students can now choose from 15 different languages in basic school. Hans Krister, who started upper secondary school this fall, had studied Spanish for three years in basic school. His new school does not offer Spanish, leaving his family with no choice but to pay for his continued language studies out of pocket.
"With the school's help, we found another student, so the lessons aren't entirely one-on-one and the price is quite reasonable. The best compliment for me was when my son said after one lesson, 'Dad, you know, I think that money was well spent. I feel like I'm really learning and making progress there,'" parent Sven Kala said.
Tallinn Language School has seen a significant increase in interest among schoolchildren in learning French and Finnish this fall.
"Finnish has been the most requested language so far. There's also demand for online lessons. People from outside Tallinn, including students from other cities, have taken and are taking these courses," said Ivar Soone, head of Tallinn Language School.
According to Soone, courses for schoolchildren are slightly cheaper, costing less than €100 per month. So far, no schools have paid for the courses. The Ministry of Education sees no problem with paid courses replacing compulsory language lessons.
According to the Ministry of Education, if students cannot continue studying a foreign language in upper secondary school, the school must offer them the opportunity to start learning another language from scratch. Alternatively, students can continue studying their chosen language at private language courses paid for by their parents, with the school recognizing the results.
Last winter, there was debate over whether schools should be allowed to collect money from parents for expenses such as museum tickets.
"These are different things. If it's a compulsory subject in the curriculum and the school is required to offer students the opportunity to study a B foreign language — at the upper secondary level, we're talking about B1 and B2 foreign languages and schools must offer B1 foreign language instruction — then when a student continues studying a language outside school, it's usually not because the school doesn't offer another option. It's the choice of the parents and the student," said Marika Peekmann, the Ministry of Education's chief expert on foreign languages.
According to Ene Saar, principal of Tallinn Secondary School of Science, the biggest challenges for schools are still ahead as this year's basic school graduates are the first cohort required to choose a foreign language other than Russian.
"When they enter upper secondary school, it will be a challenge to figure out how and in what way we can open these B foreign language groups. It's simply not financially feasible to offer everyone the language they want," Saar said.
Saar believes the choice of second foreign languages could be restricted, with some less commonly taught languages offered as electives instead. The Ministry of Education sees no need for such restrictions, saying it is not aware of any upper secondary schools experiencing problems.
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